Method of manufacturing gas.



No. 698,062. Patented Apr. 22 I902.

F. W. C. SCHNIEWIND; 7

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING GAS.

(Application filed Aug. 29, 1900.) (No Model.) 2.S heetsSheet l.

WjIi/VESSES l/v VEN TOR.

Am a T 4- v 1 Painted Apr. 22, I902. F. W. G. SCHNIEWIND. METHOD OF MANUFACTURING GAS.

. (Application filed Aug. 29, 1900.)

(Ilo Model.) l 2 Sheets-Shaet 2 CL a mi uo'ms PETERS (41. worouma. wwlmrrou. n. c.

' Nirr: STATES ATE'NT FFICE.

FREDERIQ WILLIAM. ciiARLEs SCHNIEWIND, on NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED COKE & GAS COMPANY, OF OHARLESTONVWEST VIR- GINIA, AND PHILADELPHIA,PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA. I

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 698,062, dated April 22, 1902.

Application liled August 29, 1900. ficrial No. 28,390. (No specimens) T at whom it may, concern: a

Be it known that I, FREDERIC ;WILLIAM CHARLES SoHNIE IND,a citizen ofthe United States of America, residing in the city,-county,

and State of New York, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Methods of Manufacturing Gas, of which the following is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which ['9 form a part thereof.

'My invention relates to the manufacture of illuminating-gas, and has for its Object the production of illuminating-gas of high candlepower and of general good quality at low cost. In my'former application, filed January 8, 1900, Serial No. 653, I have described a method of manufacturing gas in which carbonaceous material is treated in externally-heated, re-

4 torts and the gases of dry distillation thus 2o produced separated into two portions, one of which,preferably'thatpoorerinilluminants,is treatedfor the extraction of its i1luminants to wit, chiefly benzole 0 H and its homologues; and ethylene (),H and its homologuessaid illuminants being then mixed with the untreated portion in orderto increase its illuminating value. As most usefully applied this process is used in connection with cokeovens heated by a gas-furnace, the gas treated 0 for extraction of these illuminantsbeing used to heatsaid furnaces. In such or similar modes of application the theoretically-posst ble efficiency of the process is necessarily modified by the requirements of the gas-fur- 5 naces, a certain percent-age of the gas being imperatively required tom'aintain the distillation process. Under certain conditions and I in treating certain coals there is therefore a surplus'of illuminantsover that necessary to" 40 raise the enriched portion of the gas to a standard' of desirable illuminant-valuep Again, where my said process-is carried out with the best efficiency,the;richer and poorer gases being separated and the poorer gases only treated for-extraction of their illuminants,

the rich portion ,of the gas may contain an undue percentage of sulfurous impurities, because the sulfurous compounds which contaminate the gas are given off most freely during the earlier stages of distillation. This is J 0nd place, my object is to provide not only for the increase involume of the illuminating-gas, but-for adiminution of the percentage of sulfurous impurities in the gas, so as to diminish the cost of purification; and, in the third place, my object is toprovide a volume of .cheap fuel-gas for admixture with a p portion of the gas produced by distillation,"

which is available for heating the gas-furnaces, thus Obviously increasing the portion of gas available for illuminating purposes.

To effect the above purposes, I provide, in

connection with an apparatus for manufacturin g gas by dry distillation and for treating a portion of said gas'to extract its illuminants and'mix them with the untreated portion, av

water-gas generator in which ignited carbonaceous material can be treated alternately with blasts of air and steam, so as to produce alminants, so asto increasethe volume of this ternate volumes of producer-gas and water- 'gas.- The Water-gas producedl mix with the V enriched gas of distillation, andthe p'roducer- *gasl mix with a'portion of the-distillation gases which: have been robbed of their illu- 8.5

gas, which is available for heating the retorts, I

my invention, generally speaking, consisting Y in treating carbonaceous material for the pro- V duction of the gasesof dry distillation, dividing said gases into two portions, preferably of unequal illuminating value, treating one portion, preferablythe poorer one, for the extractionof its illuminants, and mixing said illuminants with the untreated portion of gas,

subjecting another body of carbonaceous Ina- I terial to treatment in order to produce wa'ter- V gas, and mixing said water-gas with the enriched gas of distillation in order to increase the volume of such gases and diminish their contained sulfurous impurities. Y

My invention further consists in the utilization of the producer-gas produced alternately with the water-gas for admixture with the gas from which the illuminants have been extracted and the use of such gas for heating the retorts in which the gas of dry distillation is produced.

Reference is had to the drawings, which illustrate diagrammatically a plant adopted for carrying on my process, in which- Figure l is a general diagrammatic view of such a plant; Fig. 2, an enlarged partly-sectional view of a portion of the plant, and Fig. 3 a sectional view of a bank of ovens adapted for use in producing gas.

A indicates a bank of coke-ovens; A, &c., individual ovens of the bank. As shown, each oven is provided with two gas-outlet openings, (indicated at a and a,) said openings connecting, respectively, by pipes (indicated at a a) with mains, (indicated at B and B,) a and a indicating the valves by which either of the pipes or a can be closed at will. In practice during the first portion of the coking period in each of the ovens and while the gases most rich in illuminants are being given off from the coal the valves a are opened and the valves a closed, so that this rich gas is delivered into the main 13. During the later period of the coking process, when the poorer gases are produced, the valves a are closed and the valves a are opened, so that the poorer gases are delivered into the main B, the rich gas in the main B then being passed through a condensing-house, com prising, as shown separate washers, (indicated at c c,) coolers, (indicated at c c 0 a tar-scrubber, (indicated at 0 an exhauster, (indicated at 0 acooler, (indicated at 0 bell-washers, (indicated at c 0",) passing thence through a main (indicated at B B into either or both of the divisions B B controlled by valves and b and leading, respectively, to the purifying-chambers G G. The poorer division of the gases passing through the main B also passes through a similar condensing apparatus (indicated at O and 0 inclusive) and thence passes through the main B to the benzole-scrubber, (indicated at D',) thence through the pipe B to the sec ond benzole-scrubber, (indicated at D,) and thence through the pipe B to the reservoir K. As shown, (see Fig. 2,) the benzole-scrub' bers D and D are fitted up with a multiple series of transverse perforated partitions, through which the gases rise, coming in contact with the circulating body of oil capable of absorbingilluminants, which, coming from a reservoir D passes into the scrubber D through the pipe E, having a spray-terminal, as shown, the oil being drawn from the bottom of the scrubber D by the pump e, situated in the conduit E, which has a spray-terminal in the head of the second scrubber D, from the bottom of which scrubber the pipe E leads the oil to a reservoir D from which it is drawn by a pump 6 through a pipe E leading into the top of a still, (indicated at D in which the illuminants are driven off through the pipe F, while the oil freed from a greater portion of the illuminants is delivered through the pipe E into the reservoir D a pump 6 raising the oil from said reservoir and forcing it into a pipe and to a cooler D and thence through a pipe E into the reservoir D In order to facilitate the operation of distilling off illuminants from the absorbent oil, I prefer to pass a certain amount ofgas through the still D, B indicating a pipe leading from the gas-main B into the still D for this purpose. As shown and as preferably practiced by me, the illuminants driven offin the still D' are conducted by the pipe F to a point in the condensing apparatus for the rich gas on the suctionside of the exhauster 0 so that the said iliuminants are subjected in admixture with the rich gas to the condensing operation performed in the receptacles c c c". The oil I prefer to use for extracting illuminants from the gas is one produced by the fractional distillation of coal-tar and boiling between 200 and 300 centigrade.

L, Fig. 1, indicates a water-gas producer, P and Pindicating, respectively, air and steam supply pipes, L indicating the gas-delivery pipe for the water-gas, and L a delivery-pipe for the prod ucer-gas, Z and Z indicating valves for controlling these delivery-pipes.

M indicates a scrubber for producer'gas, and L a conduit connecting the scrubber with the reservoir K.

The delivery-pipe L for the water-gaseounects,as shown,either with a su perheatin g carbureting plant, (indicated at N N N N N2) N indicating a scrubber, and N' N condensers, and thence through the pipe L with the relief-holder O, or, in the alternative, with the pipe L leading through the scrubber and condenser to the relief-holder without pass ing through the superheating and carbureting chambers N N. In ordinary operation it will not be necessary or desirable to car buret thewater-gas, though under certain conditions it will be exceedingly. valuable to have the carbureting plant available. From the relief-holder O the water-gas is drawn by an exhauster 0 and forced through a pipe L into the purifying-chamber G containing oXid-boxes only, as only sulfureted hydrogen is to be removed, passing thence through a pipe L", which, as shown, has a meter attachment, (indicated at IL) into the reservoir I, where it mixes with the enriched gases of distillation, which, passing either through the purifyingchambers G or G, is carried off by the pipes 13 and B to a common pipe B leading to the reservoir I. In practice chamber Gcontains only oxid-boxes, while chamber G embodies a complete purifying plant adapted to remove organic sulfur compounds and carbonic acid.

J indicates a meter-house in the deliverymain leading from the reservoir I.

,7 Q is a gas-pipe leading from the reservoir K-and connecting through a common distribution-pipe Q with a series of burner-pipes q, having burners g (see Fig. 3) opening into the gas-furnaces, (indicated at Q and Q The operation of the above-described apparatus in carrying my process into effect needs but little additional explanation. The ovens A are charged with bituminous coal and heated through the furnaces Q Q by gases issuing from the b urners'q and drawn from the reservoir K. Those ovens giving off rich gases are connected with the main B and those giving off poor gases with the main B. The poor gas after being treated in the condensing-house is treated with oil in order to extract from it its illuminants in the scrubbers D and D, the residual gas being delivered into the reservoir K. The oil carrying the absorbed illuminants is subjected to dis-1 pipe F and mixed with the rich gas, preferably,

as shown in the condensing system through which said gases are passed, the enriched gas passing in regulable'degrees through the purifying-chambers G and G in accordance with the percentageof sulfur compounds which it is desired to remove from the gas and then being collected in the reservoir 1.

.At the same time the water-gas generator L" is subjected to alternate blasts of air and steam, the producer-gas generated while the air-blast is on being scrubbed at M and then mixed with the poor'gas from the ovens in the reservoir K. The water-gas generated while the steam-blast is on' is, asshown, first cooled and then conducted to the relief- .holder 0 and then through the'purifyingchamber G to the reservoir 1, where itis mixed with the enriched gas from the ovens. If desired, the water-gas can be carbureted in trated is also my invention and forms the I the apparatus indicated at'N N, though,as I

have stated, this is not generally advisable.

. While my present application is directed solely to the method of manufacturing gas described, I would state that the plant illussubject-matter of my other application for Letters Patent, filed'August 29, 1900, Serial While, as stated, my process is chiefly directed to a treatment in which the portion of the coke-oven gases saved for use as'illumihating-gas is enriched by the illuminants ab-' sorbed from the portion of said gases used for heating the ovens, useful results are ob-' ized as illuminating-gas, and this treatment I p body of carbonaceous material to produce water-gas and mixing said water-gas with the enriched portion of the gas produced by dis tillation in order to increase its volume and diminish its. percentage of sulfurous impuria ties. 2. The method of manufacturing gas which consists in subjecting carbonaceous material todry distillation, separating the gas thus produced into two portions, treating another body of carbonaceous material alternately" with blasts of air and steam to vproduce pro-' ducer and water gas, mixing said water-gas with the enriched portion of the gas produced purities, mixing the producer-gas with a por= tion of the gas robbed of its illuminants and 'using said last-mentioned gases for the dis= tillation of the carbonaceous material. I

3. The method of manufacturing gas which consists in subjecting carbonaceous material to dry distillation, separating the gas thus distillation in order t'oj'increase its volume and diminish its percentage of sulfurou's'im purities, mixing the produoer-gas'with a portion'of the gas robbedof its illuminantsand using said last-mentioned gasesjfor the di [1' 5 I 4. Themethodofmanufacturing gas which L consistsinsubjectingcarbonaceous material; to dry distillation to drive off its:gases, sepa-' g i rating the richer and poorer gases produced,

tillation of the carbonaceous material.

treating the poorer portion of gas to extract by distillation in order 'to increase its volume g and diminish its percentage of sulfurous' im-" too noits contained illuminants, mixing said extractedilluminants'With the riche'rdivision of. the gas toenrich it, treating anotherbodyfj of carbonaceous material for, the manufac-ffj ture of water-gas and 'mixingsaidwater-gas with the enriched gas to increase its volume v and diminish itspercentage 'ofcontained sul-' .1' v

furous compounds.

5. The method of'manufactu'ring gaswhich consists in subjecting carbonaceous material to dry distillation to drive off its gases, separating the richer and poorer gases produced,

treating the poorer portion of gas to extract I fur compounds, mixing the producer-gas with In its contained illuminants, mixing said exthe poorer division of the gas distillate, and tracted illuminants with the richer division using said last-mentioned mixture for the dis of the gas to enrich it, treating another body tillation of the carbonaceous material.

ofcarbonaceous material withalternateblasts Y 1 v a a, 1 of air and steam for the manufacture of p IREDBRIC WILLIAM CllARLllb SCIIME Il\D. ducer and Water gas, mixing said Water-gas Witnesses:

1). W. KINOAID, M. A. GoEKs.

with the enriched gas to increase its volume and diminish its percentage of contained sul- 

